Security & Strategic Review - April 2019

Chile: Taking in Venezuelan deserters

The Chilean government led by President Sebastián Piñera has vowed to provide refuge for members of the Venezuelan armed forces that have deserted rather than be led by Nicolás Maduro’s de facto government. The offer to take in these deserters was made at the behest of Colombia, to where most of the Venezuelan military have deserted, as part of a bid to help alleviate the burden and risk that this represents for the Colombian government. The hope also is that the Piñera government’s gesture will help to encourage more members of Venezuela’s armed forces to desert and thus help to expedite the fall of the Maduro administration and defuse what has become a major security threat for the region.